Sovereign (The Shardlake series, 3)

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Sansom brings the colours, sights and sounds of Tudor England brilliantly into the imagination in this gripping historical novel. * Choice magazine * By the time we get to the end much is already known and CJ Sansom is left with just one more part of the puzzle to reveal then to prepare the way for the next book.

A. In the next book, Revelation, which I’m writing now, he will not be returning to a political mission, but Shardlake and Cranmer will have a common interest in hunting what today we would call a serial killer Duffy, Stella (6 November 2004). "A wherry across the Thames: A review of Dark Fire". The Guardian. UK. Flood, Alison (10 March 2009). "Obama battles vampires for Galaxy prize". The Guardian. London . Retrieved 19 September 2010. I have to confess to being a dedicated Henry hater. It dismays me that recent history has lionised him as some sort of humanist Renaissance Man, and/or as a stud in the bedroom. Personally, I loathe not just him but the entire Tudor dynasty because they had so much blood on their hands. In my eyes, Henry is a cold-blooded killer, although he may never have wielded the murder weapon himself. There is an old saying "Absolute power corrupts absolutely", and that definitely applies to Henry VIII, Mary and Elizabeth I. All in the name of religion, but really to fulfil their own greedy ambitions and craving for supremacy.I have enjoyed C. J. Sansom's series of historical novels set in Tudor England progressively more and more. Sovereign, following Dissolution and Dark Fire, is the best so far . . . Sansom has the perfect mixture of novelistic passion and historical detail. -- Antonia Fraser * Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year * I can't say I ever looked at King Henry VIII as a likeable figure, but I've come to despise him. Over the course of three Shardlake books, he's solidified in my mind as a rather vile and detestable man; the power he had was quite absurd and wildly misused. However, I would like to learn more about him at some point, though I admit his predecessors and successors interest me more. But the murder of a local glazier involves Shardlake in deeper mysteries, connected not only to the prisoner in York Castle but to the royal family itself. And when Shardlake and Barak stumble upon a cache of secret papers which could threaten the Tudor throne, a chain of events unfolds that will lead to Shardlake facing the most terrifying fate of the age . . . There is an amazing, vivid description of the arrival of the Progress in York - heralds, horses, courtiers, officials, all richly dressed, and conducting themselves in a courtly manner as respect for the all-powerful monarch and his queen, Catherine Howard (number 5). On the approach to York town, Henry VIII encounters Shardlake and insults him in public for his deformity. Not long after that, Shardlake narrowly escapes being killed by a metal spike deliberately launched at him by an unknown person.

As with the other books there is a mix of fact and fiction with a significant amount of grey in between. The author has clearly researched well and has chosen to believe some historical accounts over others which is perfectly acceptable in historical fiction. Of course, when reading the story the reader can't help but think about what actually happened, what could have happened and what is completely impossible. Set in the autumn of 1541, the novel describes fictional events surrounding Henry VIII's 'Progress' to the North (a state visit accompanied by the royal court and its attendants, the purpose of which was to accept the formal surrender from those who had rebelled during the Pilgrimage of Grace). Most of the novel is set in York though events in London and on the return journey via Hull are also depicted. Walter Scott historical fiction shortlist announced". BBC News. 1 April 2011 . Retrieved 12 June 2011. I was enthralled by Sovereign by C. J. Sansom, a novel combining detection with a brilliant description of Henry VIII's spectacular Progress to the North and its terrifying aftermath. -- P.D. James * Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year * After the second attempt upon his life, Shardlake is convinced that the stolen papers - with their allegations against the King - hold the key to the whole mystery.Nominated for the 2003 Crime Writers' Association (CWA) John Creasey Memorial Dagger, for first books by previously unpublished writers. It was also nominated for the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger in the same year. [7] This is a series that just seems to get better and better. In this third book in the Shardlake series, lawyer Matthew Shardlake is now working for Archbishop Cranmer, with Lord Cromwell now executed. Shardlake and his manservant Barak are sent north to York, where they are to assist with petitions to King Henry VIII on his great Progress to visit northern cities. In addition to this Shardlake is to oversee the welfare of a political prisoner who must be returned safely to London Tower for professional interrogation. No me gustaría terminar sin destacar la ambientación. Sansom busca con su narración ofrecernos una atmosfera de un York deprimido y en decadencia, lo que unido a la caza de brujas que el rey y sus partidarios llevaban a cabo tras la desvinculación de la iglesia católica, nos hace aproximarnos a la angustia y la incertidumbre que debía de vivir la gente en aquel intrincado momento. The numbers involved also allow for a rare sense of scale, creating bustling street scenes and grand processions. It’s a lot of bodies to choreograph, something that co-directors Juliet Forster, Mingyu Lin and John R Wilkinson do skilfully. There are some moments where the narrative sags or the stage pictures lose focus. But overall, Sovereign makes for a fitting celebration of York’s people and its long theatrical history. And Edward's legitimacy or illegitimacy wasn't really relevant because Henry VIII was king because his father was a conqueror, not through his mother at all. Henry VII's reign began when Richard III died. In fact he dated it from the day before. He married Elizabeth of York to try to gain him some supporters during his reign. It didn't do anything to strengthen his claim to the throne. And he didn't exactly hurry to marry her.

The tragedy is that fundamentalism is not interested in the real problems of real people outside the charmed circle of believers, and is frequently quite happy to envisage those outside the circle being brutally destroyed, as is the case with the “End-timers” in modern Protestant fundamentalism. Islamic terrorism goes a (very large) step further, actively destroying people identified as enemies and heretics. Both groups, however, believe that the world is divided between those who have true doctrine and those who do not, and the latter do not matter except so far as some may be converted. That’s my take. The plot is complex and meanders around its carefully structured story. Shardlake looks into many of the puzzling events that he encounters and resolves them throughout the novel without leaving everything to a dramatic conclusion at the end. This flowing effect gives a natural feel to the book and makes it very easy to read whilst keeping a level of tension all through. Not only a great detective novel but also a fabulous insight into the historical happenings of the Tudor period, this book is an absorbing read. * Tesco Magazine * Radwinter, for all his cruel madness, proves to be a rather interesting character. While Maleverer is cold and calculating, Radwinter is full of hot-blooded passion and zealotry. How do these two characters illustrate the zeitgeist of Henrician England? How do they represent the religious and political poles of the time? Shardlake badly misjudges the motives and characters of Jennet Marlin and Giles Wrenne for much of the novel. What in his personal life made him so vulnerable to their deceits?

Desmond Ryan, a former critic with The Philadelphia Inquirer, also reviewed the novel positively, noting that Sansom succeeded at writing a first-person narrative without awkward historical exposition by the protagonist. He wrote that the three novels in the series "deserve the praise heaped on them in England". [2]